Q & A with PMH Atwater

Dr. Atwater is an international authority on near-
death states as well as a near-death experiencer.
She is one of the original researchers in the field of
near-death studies, having begun her work in 1978.

Sunday, September 03, 2017

Is There an Escape Clause in Karmic Destiny?

Question

“I have an interesting question for you but first some info. Someone I know has gotten into trying to get enlightened in the past year or so, and I have come to realize that it is because she has some really negative stuff she has been dealing with all her life. Her husband was shot to death in front of her when she was still pregnant with her only son. She was young.

“What she has come to completely believe is that IF she can (at 67 years of age) become enlightened, then she won’t have to ever reincarnate on Earth again! Many people are getting into this, I feel. In other words, did the creator of all that is put in an escape clause in your karmic destiny which we call enlightenment?

“One supposed master I have read said that, once you become enlightened, you must come back seven more lifetimes as a teacher. Michael Newton’s two books, Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls, says that we decide on every main event in our lives BEFORE we incarnate! Michael is a clinical hypnotist and has taken 100s of people ‘between’ lives to see what they say and they ALL say pretty much the same things.

“Also, from thinking about all of this, what if it’s true? She’s right! We don’t have to come back. BUT what if your incarnations on Earth - are like grammar school and then you move on to some much more challenging experiences? Given all that, I’m wondering if you have any feedback about any of this from your experiences and from interviewing over 4,000 NDErs?

“Thank you for your work and your time!”....Rick

ANSWER

No one can give final exacts, because there are always glitches, exceptions, surprises, and unexpected turn-arounds.

Certainly, we can learn a great deal from adepts, avatars, and enlightened ones from throughout the ages. Their wisdom aids in our growth and comforts us when life turns in directions not expected. A wellspring of wisdom has built up overtime from this. We sense it, we know it, we connect with it… whenever we open up our hearts and quiet our minds. That’s what meditation and prayer are for, enabling us to obtain that quiet place where the “all” resides. We can also reach a quiet place of such knowledge whenever we walk in a forest, splash on a seashore, enjoy ourselves in that font of living truth nature provides. It’s there - all knowledge, all truth - all around us, everywhere. The key to opening its “door” runs exactly counter to our present-day life. We’re noisy, rushing, competing, trying, pushing, doing everything we can to avoid “wasting time.” Did you know that the number one fear of the majority of people born since round 1982. . . is silence? Oft-said, “It is in silence that you save your soul.” Think about that.

Because we skirt silence, because we seem no longer willing to read, learn, experience for ourselves - - - we fall victim to the latest “expert” on what life is for and what happens to us after death, and how we can alter the program. A desperate person will listen to anything. Truth to them is what everyone else says is truth.

Don’t get me wrong here, there are indeed Universal Laws that work, no matter who you are or what you think. But it’s how those Laws are bent to satisfy a moment’s needs is where we get in trouble. I am very familiar with Michael Newton’s work. It’s good but it’s not gospel, and it’s not bias free. You could pretty much say that of any epic “channeling” or psychic-based discourse. They are all good, we can learn from them. . . still, keep the door to your mind open. The teaching’s of the world’s great religions are fantastic - yet each one has “holes” in it a mile long.

Is there a source without error? Yes. What you learn from unselfishly, openly, fully, giving of self to serve others. What you learn from wholly and without reservation, loving another who is open to your love and willing with you to be “born again.”

You see the power of this again and again with the near-death phenomenon and with those who have undergone an intense spiritual transformation. . . YET, IT IS THE PATTERN OF AFTEREFFECTS THAT VALIDATE THE EXPERIENCE, not the other way around!!!

By their fruits ye shall know them.

Shortcuts lead one back to the starting line. What you thought was a quick fix, actually doubled the terrain you needed to cover.

Commendations, rewards, transformations. . .come to us, not from us. If there was ever proof of this it is in the hundreds of thousands, millions of cases of near-death experiences from adults and children across the world. What we often think is true, we find out wasn’t.

I live my life according to the Russian proverb that says: “Trust, but verify.” I would add to that, “then pray.” Answers to questions are always at the next highest level. This means quite simply: answers to questions can never be found at the level the question was asked.

Be careful of what others say is true. Test it out. Verify. Then test again. (This is the central theme of A Manual for Developing Humans.)

About Me

An international authority on near-death states, PMH Atwater is the author of 10 books, her writings have also appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. She has lectured twice at the United Nations and guested on tv and radio talk shows such as Sally Jessy Raphael, Larry King Live, Entertainment Tonight, Regis & Kathy Lee, Geraldo, and The Shirley Show in Canada. Recently she was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the National Association of Transpersonal Hypnotherapists and the "Outstanding Service Award" from IANDS (where she has also been a 2 term board member).